How Instagram star Loki the Wolfdog became the primary sponsor of an IndyCar driver

The racing world and its drivers often have some unexpected sponsors, but nothing beats Loki the Wolfdog — Instagram star, outdoor adventure enthusiast and now the primary sponsor for IndyCar driver Spencer Pigot’s No. 20 car this weekend.

Yes, you read that right. At Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Loki the Wolfdog is making his racing world debut as a partner with Rising Star Racing (RSR) and will detail his California adventures throughout the weekend to his 1.4 million Instagram followers.

With a love of exploring remote places, Loki — along with his Denver-based owner, Kelly Lund — is known to hike mountains, venture through the desert and camp under a peaceful, starry sky.

Loki is part husky, malamute and wolf, and Lund started the Instagram account in 2013 as a joke when the dog was just a year old. But Loki’s popularity quickly grew.

As thousands of followers flocked to the wolfdog’s account, Loki became an Instagram star and an influencer for brands like Google, Mercedes, REI and Toyota.

Lund — who quit his job with Denver’s parks and recreation department in November to focus on Loki’s social media stardom — is also friends RSR driver Neil Alberico. So it was only a matter of time before IndyCar came calling.

“Loki is basically the coolest dog out there, and he’s a serious force when it comes to connecting household brands with that elusive millennial audience,” RSR founder Art Wilmes said in a statement. “We decided to team up with him to spread the word about our drivers, the Verizon IndyCar Series, and the Mazda Road to Indy.”

A post shared by Loki (@loki_the_wolfdog) on Jan 15, 2017 at 6:38pm PST

Sunday’s grand prix will be the Loki and Lund’s first IndyCar race, and the pair couldn’t be more excited. In addition to Instagram, Lund said Loki’s adventures around the race track will also appear on the dog’s Facebook and Snapchat accounts.

Lund said he’s always been a racing fan and likened RSR’s goal of leveling the playing field for talented drivers to the way social media provides a voice to those who might not have one.

“I was really excited about that idea because Rising Star Racing has a mindset to help the underdog and help some of the young drivers,” Lund said. “It gives some of these younger guys an opportunity to have a shot at the big leagues and that was really cool to me.”

How Instagram star Loki the Wolfdog became the primary sponsor of an IndyCar driver

The coolest dog on Instagram is entering the racing world.

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